But Aer Lingus said that despite this decision, it now expects to take a hit to profit, even if no further strikes are called.

The airline blamed ‘increased media coverage and commentary’ of its falling out with staff.

It added: ‘The outcome will depend in part on the speed with which we can win back customer confidence.’

Aer Lingus said it ‘continues to engage with Impact under the auspices of the Labour Court to resolve this matter and further announcements will be made as appropriate.’

The profit warning came just 24 hours after Europe’s largest airline Lufthansa sent airline shares into a tailspin by issuing its own earnings downgrade, also citing strikes as well as fierce competition.

Despite the alarm sounded by Aer Lingus, its shares were down just a little over 1 per cent in Dublin during early trading.

In London, EasyJet shares extended the falls seen on the back of Lufthansa’s update, moving down 14p to 1,516p, while British Airways owner IAG shed 5.9p to 394.1p.